The law in the Ukraine regarding the control of segregated ballast water on board vessels has changed. If a vessel has segregated ballast tanks, ecological inspectors are no longer permitted to board, inspect IOPP certification, take segregated ballast water samples for analysis or impose fines on the grounds that the vessel has discharged contaminated segregated ballast water. Ecological inspectors in Ukraine are also no longer included in the list of official personnel required to board vessels in order to issue inward clearance.
Despite the new legislation, ecological inspectors may still try to board vessels with segregated ballast tanks during cargo operations and demand to take samples of the ballast water. As the inspectors are no longer authorised to do so, masters are advised to reject their demands and invite the inspectors to return once a Club correspondent is in attendance. The following extract from the Ukrainian Ecological Regulations, has been translated by Dias Marine Consulting, and Masters can use it to justify their refusal to permit access to and sampling of segregated ballast water:
On 3 April 2015 there came into force Order 82 dd. 18.03.2015 (filing No. 343/26788) of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine "on introducing changes into some state ecological control regulations". By virtue of this Order chemical control of segregated ballast is cancelled. The said Order is aimed at improvement of the ecological control service activity and also it is intended to bring certain Ukrainian normative and legal acts in conformity with the international law.
For example, some changes were made in the regulations related to ecological control of ships at the national frontier check-points and areas covered by the regional customs. In particular, Item 1.5 of the said regulations gives a definition of the notion of "segregated ballast" in accordance with MARPOL Convention 73/78. Besides, paragraph 7 of Item 1.12 of the said regulations was also amended - in the new redaction authority of the state ecological inspectors to make analysis of the segregated ballast water is annulled. In the same way their authority to take samples and carry out laboratory analyses of the segregated ballast for its contents and characteristics is withdrawn by force of the amended item 6.0 of the marine ecological inspections regulations.
Although ecological inspectors no longer appear to target vessels with segregated ballast tanks in certain ports including Odessa, Yuzhny and Illyichevsk, this practice may still be encountered in other ports in Ukraine.
If ecological inspectors claim that they saw an oily sheen on the surface of the water near a vessel with segregated ballast tanks, or otherwise attempt to board, the master should refuse access and contact the Club or the local correspondent for immediate assistance.
We have been working with over 200 members of our correspondents network to produce a comprehensive document that outlines challenges and changes for crew changes in ports.
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